Soul of the Enemy
By Willow Spirit
Disclaimer: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Sorry for the wait, too.
Chapter 19 – Welcome to Hell
Alex's speedy recovery meant that she was able to attend the dance after all. So on a fair-weathered Friday in late April, all students from Year 4 and up enjoyed an evening of music and dancing (and for others, a large dose of drama.) The dance itself wasn't meant to be overly elaborate. With all the turmoil and Death Eater activity going on, having a full-blown ball just wouldn't have been appropriate. The decorations were kept simple, and students were encouraged to go easy on the formalness of their attire. No students were allowed to visit Hogsmeade, due to safety reasons, but catalogues were readily available in the school if anyone wanted to buy new dress robes.
While the girls were getting ready up in Hermione's room, Harry, Ron and Neville were waiting impatiently for them down in the common room. Harry had nearly waited until the last minute, but he had finally asked Ginny to the dance and luckily she was still dateless. Ron and Neville were, of course, going with Hermione and Alex, respectively.
"I swear this just gets worse as they get older," Ron sighed in exasperation.
"You might want to be careful there, Ron," Harry warned.
"Yeah, don't want the girls hearing stuff like that," Neville said. The thought of annoying Hermione, Ginny, or Alex was absolutely petrifying in his mind. Each girl was dangerous in her own way.
"What shouldn't we hear?" came a voice from the stairs. All three boys shot up from their chairs and quickly spun around. There was Ginny, leaning casually against the railing of the girls' staircase. Harry felt his eyebrows rise slightly in surprise. Ginny looked rather nice. She was wearing a pretty, cream colored dress robe that really went well with her Weasley-red hair. Her hair, which was normally straight as a pin, was arranged in soft curls.
"Where are the other two?" Ron asked.
Ginny shot him an annoyed glare. "You look nice too, brother," she said. "I came down to tell you guys that they're right behind me. They'll be down in a second."
"Is anything wrong?" Harry could tell something else was up.
"Oh, Hermione's having some trouble convincing Alex to leave her room."
"Mission accomplished," Hermione suddenly appeared near the top of the steps, literally dragging a reluctant Alex along with her. The boys got a better view of them as they descended the stairs. Hermione was wearing a light purple robe and her hair was straightened. It was swept up on the top of her head in a maze of twists and curls. Now it was Ron's turn to look surprised.
Then they saw Alex. Harry knew he was staring at her but he just couldn't help it. Her robes were a gorgeous royal blue that made her eyes seem extra green. Her brown and blonde hair was perfectly smooth and straight, curving inwards to frame her face. She looked highly uncomfortable, like she wasn't used to attracting so much attention because of how she looked.
"You laugh, you die," Alex threatened the boys as she fidgeted with her robes. Did she really think she looked horrible?
"Alex, you look wonderful," Harry actually managed to get words out of his mouth.
"Whatever, let's just go," Alex said as she stormed past Hermione and Ginny. She grabbed Neville's arm as she passed by, jerking him towards the portrait door. Poor Neville glanced nervously over his shoulder to the others, who were all exchanging their 'she's-so-strange' look.
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The first dance, as planned, was performed by the Head Boy, Head Girl, and all the prefects. At least there were many couples on the dance floor, which meant that all the attention wasn't dumped on a few people.
"Now I kind of know how Harry felt three years ago," Ron said, referring to Harry having to be in the first dance of the Yule Ball in Fourth Year.
"Oh, it's really not that bad," Hermione rolled her eyes. "I was in that opening dance too, remember?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
Meanwhile, Harry and Ginny were dancing just a few meters away. "You look nice tonight, Ginny," Harry said, finally acknowledging her appearance for the first time that evening. Ginny suspected that he was just trying to be polite, but she graciously accepted the compliment anyway.
"Thanks, Harry. You don't look too bad yourself," she replied.
"Thank you." Ginny couldn't help but notice that Harry's eyes kept daring over to the table where Alex and Neville sat. It was so obvious that his mind wasn't with them on the dance floor, though that really wasn't a surprise. Harry's mind was usually off somewhere else; only this time he was probably thinking about a certain girl.
They finished the dance and the three couples met up at the table. "I think I'll sit this one out," Ron said.
"Yeah, you really danced up a storm there, Weasley," Alex teased him. "God, I don't think I can handle all the excitement. This dance is just so fun!"
"Give it a chance," Harry suggested.
"Hey, look! There's Malfoy," Ginny pointed to him across the dance floor. "Maybe we could terrorize him for entertainment."
"And get into trouble?" Hermione asked. "Let's wait at least an hour before we bring out the chaos, shall we?"
"Let's go swarm the punch table until then," Alex suggested, and pulled Hermione and Ginny away from the group.
"So, Neville, how's it going?" Ron clapped his hand down on Neville's shoulder.
"It's alright," Neville shrugged. "Alex and I talked some while you guys were dancing. She's…I don't know…"
"Loud, insane, unpredictable, prone to mood swings?"
"She's interesting," Neville finally settled on an adjective.
"Neville, don't you know? All girls are 'interesting'," Ron said. "That's what makes them so hard to figure out."
The dance continued on without any major incidences, until there was about an hour or so left. Everybody danced with everyone else (Ginny purposely kept trying to step on Ron's feet during one song.) Ron asked Hermione to dance for the third time that night. The two of them were dancing to a semi-slow song.
Not too long into the dance, Ron happened to take a good look around the Great Hall. He saw Harry dancing with Ginny, and Alex and Neville were sitting down once again. He saw his professors, many of whom were standing discreetly on the sides of the room, sipping on glasses of punch. He saw many other people he knew, some he had known since First Year. That's when an unexpected wave of sadness washed over him, nearly making him shudder. Hermione noticed the unusual expression on his face.
"What is it, Ron?" she asked, full of concern.
"I don't know," he said. "I just got this nasty feeling of…ah, never mind."
"Come on, you can tell me," Hermione tried to encourage without pushing.
"Well, it's our last year here, you know, and we're supposed to graduate in two months and everything. But just right now I was looking at everybody and it suddenly hit me. We're graduating. Nothing's going to be the same after that. I may never see most of these people again in my life. I don't know why I didn't realize it until now. I mean, I knew this was coming but it never really sunk in yet."
"Oh, Ron," Hermione looked at him with large, sympathetic eyes.
"See, I knew it would be bad to tell you!" Ron exclaimed. "Now I've opened the flood gates for mushy feelings and talks about emotions. Urh! This is the last thing I need."
"I feel the same way too."
"About what?"
"About the end of school," Hermione said. "It's exciting but sad at the same time. Lots of people feel this way, Ron."
"They do?"
"Sure, some just feel it sooner or later than others," Hermione explained. "It's perfectly normal."
"Well, it's bloody awful," Ron complained. "I'm nearly sick to my stomach here. The thought of not seeing you or Harry just makes me want to…"
"Hold on," Hermione looked slightly confused. "What does this have to do with me and Harry?"
"What have I been saying!" Ron was exasperated. "At the end of school everything's going to change, even though I don't want it to. We'll all go off and never see each other."
"Ron!" Hermione was now completely shocked. "You think the three of us won't be friends after Hogwarts? How can you even think that!"
"Come on, Hermione, don't tell me you don't know what'll happen," Ron looked so defeated. "You'll be snatched up by some fancy place, probably some big department in the Ministry. Harry will become a world-class Auror, or I'll eat my own socks. I'll end up doing whatever, probably some minimum wage job somewhere far away from you guys. We'll still be friends but we won't have time for each other. Our lives will be so busy, we'll barely remember to send each other birthday cards."
Hermione was so stunned, she couldn't find any words to reply with. She simply stared at him as they continued to sway in circle. "You really believe that will happen?" she finally managed.
"It could," Ron shrugged.
"Well, I don't believe it," Hermione said, trying to make him believe her. "I think we'll all remain just as close as we are now."
"I hope so," Ron said softly. "You guys are the only real friends I have. We've seen each other nearly everyday for the past seven years. It'll be so weird waking up every morning and not going to breakfast with you guys. Who's going to tell me not to swear all the time? Who am I going to get into trouble with?"
Hermione was deeply touched by Ron's concern. She had no idea he felt this way. Ron was the guy who rarely showed any kind of feelings except sarcasm and frustration. Who knew he had such complex, emotional thoughts. Hermione thought she knew everything about him…but apparently she was very wrong.
And just when she thought he couldn't surprise her anymore than he already had, Ron pulled her into a tight, almost desperate hug.
"Promise me we'll always be friends," he whispered urgently into her ear. "Promise me we'll never drift apart."
"I promise," Hermione felt tears spring up in her eyes.
And for the remaining few lines of the song, they stayed locked in their tight embrace.
-----
Alex had gotten up before the song had ended to go get some more punch. There she found Lavender and Parvati, who were gazing out onto the dance floor in amazement. Alex followed their glance and was fairly surprised herself. All three saw Ron and Hermione holding each other very closely.
"Never thought Ron had it in him," Lavender said. "If he were any bolder, he'd be kissing her right now."
"No way," Alex snorted.
"No, seriously," Parvati piped up. "We're convinced he has a crush on Hermione. I'd say it's been going on for a few years now. I just don't think he or Hermione know it yet. Everybody else knows. Even Harry can see it, I think."
"Yeah, well, no one in Potter's circle talks about it," Alex said. At least not much, she added to herself.
"I suppose he's not too bad for her," Lavender said thoughtfully. "He's not as smart as she is, but he's not too bad to look at. Plus he's a Quidditch player, which also gives him points."
"Oh, really," Alex arched an eyebrow dangerously, though Lavender completely missed the hint and continued on.
"Yeah, she could probably do better but Ron's a good start," Lavender casually flipped her hair over her shoulder.
"A good start for what?" Alex challenged.
"Err…I mean as a good first steady boyfriend," Lavender finally seemed to realize that she was walking on very thin ice and tried to save herself. "Can you picture the two of them together for a long time? It's, like, not hard to see that they're so different. I don't think it'd work out in the long run."
This time Alex didn't have anything to say. She just looked down at the floor in a defeated sort of way. Parvati took the opportunity to change the subject. "So Alex, what made you bring Neville to the dance?" she asked.
"Nothing made me," Alex glared at the girls. Maybe coming over here was a very bad idea, especially since Alex felt like wringing their scrawny, little necks. "Neither of us had dates, so we decided to go as friends like the rest of our group."
"I think it's great that you're with him," Lavender said. "Otherwise he probably wouldn't be here. The only other girls he'd probably go with are Ginny and Hermione…and maybe that Luna girl if he were up to it."
"You have such high opinions about your classmates," Alex rolled her eyes.
"Well, Neville isn't the most outgoing kind of guy," Parvati reasoned. "He's been so shy ever since our first year. I have to say, though, he's been a little better ever since the beginning of last year. I think it had something to do with the whole Department of Mysteries thing."
"Here we go again," Lavender sighed. "I can't believe you believe those stories. Neville Longbottom fighting Death Eaters; now there's something I can't picture."
"Maybe it's all true," Alex said.
"Unlikely," Lavender glanced over at the table where Neville was still sitting. "I think Neville will always be Neville, the sweet, shy guy that has never kissed a girl because he's so safe and doesn't take chances."
"Oh, yeah," Alex had finally had enough. She couldn't hear anymore of this trash. "Be careful what you say, Brown. People can change and surprise you."
Before Lavender had a chance to respond, Alex spun on her feel and quickly marched away, leaving the two girls standing there looking very much like goldfish. Alex planted herself in front of Neville and promptly asked him for another dance. Neville didn't have the courage to refuse.
As luck would have it, another slow song started playing. This one was a sweet, romantic ballad. Alex didn't hesitate and placed both her hands on Neville's shoulders. He carefully placed his hands on her waist and made sure they were standing a respectable distance apart. As they started dancing, Neville couldn't help but ask Alex something.
"Alex?" he questioned carefully. "What did Lavender and Parvati say to you? I saw you talking to them and how you walked away like you were mad. Did they upset you?"
"It was nothing, Longbottom," Alex sighed. She just wanted to forget about it.
"Was it about me?" Neville asked, watching Alex carefully.
"What?" Alex's head snapped up to look at him. "What makes you say that?"
"I'm pretty sure I saw them looking at me," Neville explained dryly. "And then you marched over here like you were on a mission, or something. I know they sometimes talk about me. I'm pretty used to it by now."
Alex was going to lie to him. She was all ready to open her mouth and deny it, but then she didn't see the point. Neville deserved the truth. "Yeah, we were talking about you," she admitted. "And they pissed me off so I left them."
"Did they dare you to dance with me again?" Neville had an anxious look on his face.
"What? No!" Alex seemed appalled by the idea. "If they'd done that I would've told them to go straight to Hell. I'm dancing with you because I want to."
"Not because you feel sorry for me?"
"Absolutely not," Alex said firmly.
"It's okay, you know," Neville couldn't seem to look her in the eye. "Like I said, I'm used to it. I've never been that comfortable around girls. I'm not athletic like Ron, and I'm certainly not brave like Harry."
"What about the Department of Mysteries?" Alex asked. "Didn't you fight a bunch of Death Eaters?"
"That was stupid," Neville gave a bitter laugh. "I was stupid. I probably got in Harry's way more than I helped. I really wouldn't call that bravery. It's like I've been in the shadows my whole life. No one ever notices me, except when I'm with Harry's group. I doubt I'll ever find a nice girl, either. I've never even…"
Neville stopped himself, but Alex had a good idea what he was going to say. Alex took a moment to really look at him. She had to tilt her head up a bit because of his height, which was something since Alex herself wasn't a petite person. She examined his face, that cute face of his. Who ever said that he wasn't good looking? He wasn't the best looking guy around but he was far from the worst. And he was still young. Alex bet that he would only look nicer as he got older.
Right now, she could see the anguish written all over his face. It wasn't much or obvious, but she could tell it was there. It was the face of someone who had been teased and tormented for years. Alex inwardly cursed people like Malfoy, Lavender and Parvati for crushing Neville's spirit. He could be so much more, but his self-doubt and lack of confidence held him down like a giant weight. No one, no matter who they were, deserved to live in such a way.
Then, as if her body was acting completely on its own, Alex lifted her hands from Neville's shoulders. She placed them on both sides of his face and forced him to look at her. "Longbottom," she said with all the conviction she could muster. "You are a brave person, no matter what anyone says, including yourself."
Neville's eyes were wide and moist. He didn't try to stop her as she carried on. "You have more courage in you than you realize," Alex said. "You are a Gryffindor for a reason. It's not a mistake. Never think that for a moment. You are kind and caring and you have a huge heart. That's what really matters in the end."
Neville gave a nervous gulp and saw Harry out of the corner of his eye. He was watching them carefully as they danced. Neville tried to move his head a bit but Alex's hands still held his face firmly in one spot. "I think Harry is watching us," Neville said. "He probably wanted to come with you to the dance."
"I came with you, Longbottom," Alex ignored his comments. "I choose you, not Potter. Is that so hard to believe?"
"A little," Neville admitted.
"Well maybe this will convince you."
Before Neville knew what was happening, he felt a pair of soft lips on his own. He looked down in absolute shock and saw Alex leaning up on her toes. She was kissing him! He had never been kissed by a girl before! Well, except for aunts and grandmothers, but they absolutely did not count.
It wasn't just a quick peck on the lips either. As Neville was slowly getting over his initial shock, Alex was still there. Her hands were now on the back of his head and she was a bit closer than before. Wondering what he should do, Neville decided that he needed to be brave. No more being shy and no more avoiding girls. He thought Alex was a very pretty girl, and by Merlin, if she gave him the honour of a kiss he was certainly going to return it.
Feeling very daring, Neville let his hands slide around to Alex's lower back and pulled her a bit closer. They kept it simple, especially since they were still out in the middle of the dance floor. Neville held Alex in his arms until the end of the song came around. When it finished, they both pulled back and looked at each other. Neville gave Alex a soft smile, which she gladly returned, happy that she was able to lift his troubled spirits.
The smile on Neville's face slowly faded away into a look a worry and fear, as he saw something over her shoulder. Alex twisted her head around and saw Harry glaring at them. The smoke was practically coming out of his ears. She also saw Ron, Hermione and Ginny standing a little ways away from Harry. Their jaws were nearly on the floor. Alex was pretty sure that a few other people were staring at them too.
It was Harry's look of rage that made Alex turn back to Neville. "Listen," she drew his attention to her. "Everything I said tonight is true. I had a wonderful time but I think I should leave before Potter makes a scene. I better get out of here before the volcano blows."
Alex gave Neville a quick kiss on his cheek before she took off for the main doors. And not a moment too soon, Neville realized. As soon as Alex started to leave, Harry started moving too…in Alex's direction. She made it through the double doors, and a few seconds later, Harry was gone too. Neville watched them go, wishing that Alex didn't have to leave so soon, Ron and Hermione glanced at each other, then glanced at Ginny.
"I'm sure he'll be back soon," Hermione tried her best to sound convincing.
"I doubt it," Ginny looked pretty composed, especially for someone whose date just took off after another girl.
"I can threaten to hurt him for you if you want," Ron offered.
"Nah, that's alright. I'm fine really," Ginny saw the disbelieving looks from them. "I'm fine! I think I'll go find Luna and dance with her for a while."
Hermione and Ron shook their heads as Ginny walked away. "She may not show it, but I'll bet she's devastated," Hermione said. "Harry has put her heart through the wringer so many times."
"He'd never deserve her," Ron added. "Almost."
-----
"Alex!"
Alex ignored him for a moment longer. She knew Harry would follow her. That's why she left, so she could draw him away from everyone else. It wasn't really fair to Neville and Ginny, she knew, but she also didn't want to have this argument in a room full of on-lookers. She wanted to put a bit of distance between them and the Great Hall.
"Alex!"
"Yes, Potter?" she spun around. They'd gone far enough.
"What the bloody hell was that?" Harry asked.
"What was what?" Alex decided to play dumb, just to annoy him. He was so red in the face.
"You kissed Neville!" Harry cried. "In front of everybody."
"So?" Alex shrugged, even though it was getting harder to stay calm.
"You kissed him!" Harry repeated. "Neville of all people. Why did you go and do something so impulsive and stupid like that?"
"Because he needed it, Potter!" Alex exclaimed. Okay, even she was starting to get worked up now.
"What are you talking about?" Harry looked at her like she was mad.
"You can't see it, can you?" Alex shot back. "Or at least not enough to do something about it. You have no idea what he's been through…"
"Don't talk to me about that!" Harry roared. "How can you compare what I've been through to what he's been through?"
"I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about him!" Alex shouted. "You barely know anything about him. He's been stepped on and trampled over his entire life. He doesn't have a close network of friends like you do, and he only sort of has friends when he's around your group. No girl has ever expressed any interest in him. Not one, which is something even you can't say. He nearly feels worthless sometimes and he feels like no one really cares about him except for his family. That's why I kissed him, Potter."
The two of them just stood silently, glaring at each other with their heartbeats racing like mad. "Do you like him?" Harry asked her.
"Yes."
"Do you love him?" Harry asked softly.
"God, Potter, haven't you been listening to what I'm saying!" Alex gripped her head in frustration. "I don't love him. I just wanted to give him something special, to let him know that he matters. That's all. Why are you overreacting about this?"
Harry considered his response to her question and wondered which path he should take. He could take the easy path and make up some lie…or he could opt for the harder path and go with the truth. In the end, he chose the truth.
"Because I love you," Harry whispered.
"What?" Alex's face went deadly white. Whatever she was expecting, this was definitely not the answer she had in mind.
"I love you, Alex Reid," Harry said in a louder voice.
"You…you…what?" Alex couldn't form a complete sentence.
"I only realized it after our Quidditch game," Harry plunged onwards. "When I thought you weren't going to make it…I couldn't bear to think about it. I feel different when I'm with you…"
"Potter, stop it," Alex protested.
"But I can't," Harry said. "I feel this connection between us and it only gets stronger everyday. Don't tell me you can't feel it?"
"Not all connections are good connections, Potter," now Alex was getting upset. Harry could see the concern in her eyes.
But what had she just said about connections? Harry tried to figure out what she meant, when he suddenly remembered the link he shared with Voldemort. That link was the reason why had to master Occlumency last year, especially after learning about the prophecy. Is that what Alex meant about bad connections? But why would she even bring that up?
Worst of all, why would she compare their connection to that particular one?
"I still love you," Harry said. "Even if you don't love me, I'll always love you."
"You're confused, Potter," Alex shook her head. "You don't know what you're feeling or what you're saying."
"I don't think so."
"I'm leaving," Alex said suddenly, wiping at the corner of her eye. "I'm going back to the tower and I don't want you to follow me."
She spun around and walked away. Harry didn't follow. After the revelations of tonight, Harry thought it would be best to give Alex some space. This battle could be continued on another day.
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A/N: Ah, the dance is over. Please review!
Next Chapter: The aftermath of the ball...Harry gets a special visit and a warning from a certain someone